Kashmir stag

Kashmir stag
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Cervinae
Genus: Cervus
Species:
C. hanglu
Subspecies:
C. h. hanglu
Trinomial name
Cervus hanglu hanglu
Wagner, 1844

The Kashmir stag (Cervus hanglu hanglu), also called hangul (Kashmiri pronunciation: [hãːɡul]), is a subspecies of Central Asian red deer endemic to Kashmir and surrounding areas. It is found in dense riverine forests in the valleys and mountains of Jammu and Kashmir and northern Himachal Pradesh. In Kashmir, it is found primarily in the Dachigam National Park and in Tral Wildlife Sanctuary where it receives protection, and elsewhere it is more at risk.[3] In the 1940s, the population was between 3000 and 5000 individuals, but since then habitat destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock and poaching have reduced population dramatically. Its population is now grown marginally to 289 in 2023 from 197 in 2004.[4] It is the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir.[5] It is the only surviving Asiatic sub-species of the Red deer family.[6]

Earlier believed to be a subspecies of red deer (Cervus elaphus), a number of mitochondrial DNA genetic studies later had the hangul as a part of the Asian clade of the elk (Cervus canadensis).[7][8][9][10] The IUCN and American Society of Mammalogists, however, include it in the new grouping of Central Asian red deer (Cervus hanglu), with the Kashmir stag being the type subspecies (Cervus hanglu hanglu).

  1. ^ Brook, S.M.; Thakur, M.; Ranjitsinh, M.K.; Donnithorne-Tait, D.; Ahmad, K. (2017). "Cervus hanglu ssp. hanglu". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T113259123A113281791. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T113259123A113281791.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ "{Census} Hangul population in J&K sees uptick, wildlife dept elated". Hindustan Times. 2023-08-19. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  4. ^ "{Census} Hangul population in J&K sees uptick, wildlife dept elated". Hindustan Times. 2023-08-19. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  5. ^ WANI, ARIF SHAFI (2023-01-16). "Hangul's disturbed corridors hampering its movement in Kashmir". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  6. ^ "What is the Kashmir Government Doing to Revive the Hangul Population?". The Wire. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  7. ^ Brook, S.M.; Pluháček, J.; Lorenzini, R.; Lovari, S.; Masseti, M.; Pereladova, O. (2016). "Cervus canadensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T55997823A55997871. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T55997823A55997871.en.
  8. ^ Randi, Ettore; Mucci, Nadia; Claro-Hergueta, Françoise; Bonnet, Amélie; Douzery, Emmanuel J. P. (2001). "A mitochondrial DNA control region phylogeny of the Cervinae: speciation in Cervus and implications for conservation". Animal Conservation. 4 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1017/s1367943001001019. S2CID 86572236.
  9. ^ Pitra, Christian; Fickel, Joerns; Meijaard, Erik; Groves, P. Colin (2004). "Evolution and phylogeny of old world deer". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 33 (3): 880–895. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.07.013. PMID 15522810.
  10. ^ Groves, Colin (2006). "The genus Cervus in eastern Eurasia" (PDF). European Journal of Wildlife Research. 52: 14–22. doi:10.1007/s10344-005-0011-5. S2CID 33193408. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-06-29. Retrieved 2014-08-02.